Chlorhexidine-Containing Electrospun Polymeric Nanofibers for Dental Applications: An <i>In Vitro</i> Study
Luana Dutra de Carvalho,
Bernardo Urbanetto Peres,
Ya Shen,
Markus Haapasalo,
Hazuki Maezono,
Adriana P. Manso,
Frank Ko,
John Jackson,
Ricardo M. Carvalho
Affiliations
Luana Dutra de Carvalho
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Division of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Bernardo Urbanetto Peres
Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Division of Biomaterials, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Ya Shen
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Division of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Markus Haapasalo
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Division of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Hazuki Maezono
Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka Dental University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Adriana P. Manso
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Division of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Frank Ko
Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of British Columbia, 309-6350 Stores Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
John Jackson
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2405 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Ricardo M. Carvalho
Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Division of Biomaterials, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Chlorhexidine is the most commonly used anti-infective drug in dentistry. To treat infected void areas, a drug-loaded material that swells to fill the void and releases the drug slowly is needed. This study investigated the encapsulation and release of chlorhexidine from cellulose acetate nanofibers for use as an antibacterial treatment for dental bacterial infections by oral bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis. This study used a commercial electrospinning machine to finely control the manufacture of thin, flexible, chlorhexidine-loaded cellulose acetate nanofiber mats with very-small-diameter fibers (measured using SEM). Water absorption was measured gravimetrically, drug release was analyzed by absorbance at 254 nm, and antibiotic effects were measured by halo analysis in agar. Slow electrospinning at lower voltage (14 kV), short target distance (14 cm), slow traverse and rotation, and syringe injection speeds with controlled humidity and temperature allowed for the manufacture of strong, thin films with evenly cross-meshed, uniform low-diameter nanofibers (640 nm) that were flexible and absorbed over 600% in water. Chlorhexidine was encapsulated efficiently and released in a controlled manner. All formulations killed both bacteria and may be used to fill infected voids by swelling for intimate contact with surfaces and hold the drug in the swollen matrix for effective bacterial killing in dental settings.
